Balloons are commonly used as festive decorations to signify the celebration of some important event or anniversary. Balloons are universally recognized as a sign of happiness and celebration. It is therefore commonplace to purchase one or more balloons to give as a gift when celebrating a significant occasion.
Helium-filled balloons and other balloons inflated with gases that make them buoyant under normal atmospheric conditions are by far the most popular type of balloon. Such balloons are by perceived necessity sold to consumers already inflated with the buoyant gas because most consumers do not possess means to inflate them. These inflated balloons have a limited lifespan, owing to the tendency of the balloons to deflate over time as the buoyant gas leaks from the interior of the balloon to the exterior, either through the inflation orifice or through the balloon material itself. Also, inflated balloons are very bulky and fragile, exhibiting explosive decompression if damaged in any way.
Because of the limited life span and the bulky and fragile nature of inflated balloons, it is not practical to send them through the mail. The cost of mailing is prohibitive due to the size of the balloon, and the odds of the balloon arriving at its destination inflated are small, it being likely that the balloon will deflate during transit due to leakage or damage. For the same reasons, it is generally not practical to giftwrap balloons and give them as presents.
Because of these limitations in present balloon technology, it is generally impractical or infeasible to send an inflated balloon to someone through the mail or to give balloons as gift wrapped presents due to their bulky nature and due to the delay between sending or wrapping and receipt. There is therefore a need for a device that will allow an inflated balloon to be given to a person at an indefinite time after purchasing the balloon. The present invention is directed toward meeting this need.